Rooftop view of the Strand, City of Westminster, looking east. A major thoroughfare, the Strand runs east to west from Trafalgar Square to Temple Bar. A major thoroughfare, the Strand runs east to west from Trafalgar Square to Temple Bar. Named from the Old English 'strond', meaning the edge of a river, as before modern embankments and land reclamation it ran alongside the north bank of the River Thames. A very busy scene with pedestrians and much traffic in the Strand including black cabs and a number 77 Routemaster bus to Tooting. On the left number 448-449 are part of a triangular island block of shops and offices between the Strand, Adelaide Street and William IV Street (formerly King William Street). Built in 1830-32 as part of the West Strand Improvements, planned by architect John Nash and executed by William Herbert. The circular corner pavilions, known as "pepper pots" have three storeys and an attic with a balustrade, and cast-iron balconies around the first floor. Number 448 is occupied by Barclays Bank, previously by The West Strand Telegraph Company, and number 449, by The Midland Bank. The block is Grade II* listed, number 1237040. On the right, the forecourt of Charing Cross Station and Hotel. The railway terminus opened in 1864 after the construction of Hungerford Bridge which carried trains from Waterloo across the Thames. The hotel was built in 1863-4 in French Renaissance style by Edmund Middleton Barry, son of Sir Charles Barry. It suffered bomb damage in World War II and was reconstructed in 1953 by F. J. Wills and Son. It is Grade II listed, number 1236707. Barry also designed the forecourt shared with the station, with boundary railings and piers topped by gas lamps which, although missing in this image, have since been replaced. A number of cars are parked on the forecourt and there are advertisements on the railings for the 'Golden Arrow Train', trips to Portsmouth and 'Paris Overnight'. In the corner is a newspaper kiosk 'Finlays' advertising 'State Express 655', a cigarette brand. The south side on the corner of Villiers Street, number 32-33 Strand, have been damaged by World War II bombing. Number 1 Villiers Street, a four-storey building, has a sign for 'Chemists' and an advertisement for CWS, the Cooperative Wholesale Society formed in 1863. The block continues to Buckingham Street with narrow four- and five-storey buildings with shop fronts, and beyond this to George Court. All of these buildings were demolished, and modern office blocks and retail units built on the site.
